[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-gup1k-wx1xI/UiCZqhRJ0II/AAAAAAAAWpg/J4LZf67jiX8/s144-c-o/P8280014.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5917898866128703618″ caption=”Pelicans resting at beach” type=”image” alt=”P8280014.JPG” ]

The Gulf at it’s best today!

Pos: here
Loc: Punta Yuyo
Acc: tent
Dist: 48,8 km
Start: 6:15 End: 16:15

Thanks goodness, he can also be nice in *this* way…after half a night with rough sandstorm, it calmed fully down again. But as there was continuous lightening over the mountains all night, I couldn’t get my ass out to paddle in darkness. The moon wasn’t too bright also, and I was resting so nicely…

Fortunately it wasn’t even necessary! It was quite calm until 12.30, and then, guess what? A just about following land breeze came up, merging in a light thunder storm which I paddled out as it felt it was only over land. And that light following breeze I couldn’t miss! Suddenly a cold flush came, and it started to rain lightly, with wind from the sea, and also just about following! And I was going 80 degrees…strange, the Gulf wanted to please me today, as it is usually always windy between east and north. Temperatures were relatively reasonable all day, even the water felt somehow refreshing.

So paddling was relatively light and easy, and I could even average my usual 5 km/h, not those ridiculous 3,5 km/h for the other days. And I even saw at the end of the day a school of dolphins! Can’t even remember when I last saw a marine mammal in the seemingly dead warm water! The last seal I saw was in Paita/ Peru where I started over again after x-mas, and the last whale was even well before that point. Ok, now dolphins again! I could even watch them from my tent!. The coast was mostly sandy cliffs now, it was a bit more entertaining than beaches and sand dunes only, just for the change 🙂 I still could land anywhere, the surf was almost nothing, just for camping I had to look a bit more properly.

So when it was time to go in, I spotted a house and a lonely fisherman, the next bay was occupied with a family swimming, but then I saw a gap in the cliffs where a dry river came out, my chance! I assumed I’d had landed unnoticed, but sure both parties came along to friendly check on the new neighbor. I am just an alien for them!

I cut the remaining distance in two days until the crossing point, if it’s windy again tomorrow, I have to work harder…it’s raining now lightly, nice actually, besides it is hotter now with no wind. But rather sweating in the tent than getting it blown in the face paddling! Spirit is up again anyway after a reasonably good day, two more days and I am in Punto Fijo! I will urgently need an air conditioned room to stay for a day or two, as my skin looks horrible again, bitten and scratched open on multiple corners of the body. My right foot was yesterday even infected that much it was painful to walk, all just from one fat scratched open bite! But it’s better today, my Cortison cream does at least somewhat the job.